


Burning

by TalkMagically



Series: Burning [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Reference, F/M, canon off shoot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 09:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6698428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalkMagically/pseuds/TalkMagically
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby had to get Sam Winchester to trust her. There was no other option. Lilith chose Ruby to get the job done, so Ruby was going to do it. She just didn't realize how difficult it was going to be without a little extra help from an unexpected source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Kids Are Not Alright

“Son of a fucking bitch!” Ruby hissed, throwing her knife into the wall across the room. “That was not supposed to happen yet!”

She began to pace in the small dining area of the apartment she was using as her home base. Sam Winchester was not supposed to find out what she was yet. He was supposed to trust her, first, before finding out she was a demon. Lilith won’t be happy with this development. There had to be a way for Ruby to salvage this.

“Dean…” Ruby muttered. Sam’s brother made a deal with a crossroads. If Ruby was able to use that information to her advantage, then Sam might just be willing to overlook what she was. As long as she was able to use that information.

“Using Dean is one option,” a voice spoke up.

Ruby spun around in surprise and gave the source a mild look of horror. She didn’t need to ask who or what it was now that they broke whatever wards they had been using to hide themselves and were making their presence known. The Grace of the angel filled the room. Had she still been human, Ruby would have felt like she could barely breathe. She backed up towards her knife in an attempt to get as much space between her and the angel as possible.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Ruby demanded.

“Lilith is powerful enough to hide her actions from the rest of Hell, but she is not quite strong enough to hide everything from the Host,” the voice continued. A man no older than 27 stepped out of the shadows, giving Ruby a curious look. “A minor demon such as yourself is no different.”

“Who are you?” Ruby asked again.

“No one of consequence, at the moment. All you need to know is that I can help you get Sam Winchester to open Lucifer’s Cage.”

That made Ruby pause. Only she and Lilith knew Sam’s true destiny in Hell. Azazel thought Sam was meant as the new Boy King of Hell, but Lilith knew better and recruited Ruby to ensure it happened. Sam was meant to open the seals and release Lucifer. Sam, Lilith, and Ruby were going to be rewarded greatly once the cage was opened. Lucifer would make sure of it.

“How do you know about that?”

“I just do,” the man replied. “It’s in my best interest that Sam Winchester release Lucifer. Great things are to come after Lucifer gains his freedom. Will you take my aid?”

“You won’t even tell me who you are. I have no reason to trust you,” Ruby shot. It was ironic, she knew, to be pointing out the trust issues between the two of them, but Lilith insisted that Ruby work alone and tell no one else. The fewer people who knew, the fewer people there was to screw things up. They needed Lucifer free.

“Would this be enough for you to trust me?” the man asked. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, causing a gold pendant to appear a few inches in front of Ruby’s face.

Ruby lifted a hand to pluck the pendant from where it was floating. She could feel the pulse of Grace radiating out from it, but it did not burn her as she feared it would. She turned it over and looked at the engraving on the front; it was St. Michael the Archangel.

The choice of engraving was not lost on Ruby. Angels did not give slivers of their Grace without due cause. Join that with the fact at Michael was known as the Patron Saint of Personal Protection, and Ruby knew exactly what this mystery angel was offering. She was now under their personal protection. Anyone who harmed her would answer to this angel for their crime.

“Why do you need Lucifer free from his cage? Who are you?” Ruby asked. She didn’t bother to look up from the pendant in her hand.

“For now, that information is my own. All you need to know is I can help,” the angel replied.

“Okay,” Ruby said. “I’ll take your help.”

“Good,” the angel said. “Now, think about how Dean Winchester’s situation could be used for your advantage. Don’t forget to put the pendant on.” Before Ruby could reply, the angel was gone with a crack.

Ruby pressed herself into the wall behind her and slid down to the floor, her eyes on the pendant the entire time. A demon protected by an angel. This had to be a first.


	2. Virtue City

Ruby pressed herself against the wall next to her door and slid to the floor, forcing herself to take deep breaths. It was a pitiful, human thing to do, especially because she didn’t need to breathe, but she wanted something to focus on. Anything other than her current anxiety.

That was close. Far too close for comfort. She took a huge risk when she didn’t react to Sam threatening to shoot her with the Colt. Ruby glanced down at where Singer put a hole in her shirt before she helped him fix the gun, and she wondered what her shirt would look like if Sam actually had shot her. Would it burn up with her?

“Sam’s not going to bite the hand that’s feeding him information on how to save Dean. Don’t fret,” the mystery man spoke up as he wandered into the kitchen and dining area in front of the door. It was obvious he had been snooping around the apartment, but Ruby didn’t care at the moment. It wasn’t like she had much there, anyway.

“Easy for you to say. You weren’t a single trigger pull away from death,” Ruby snapped.

“True, but consider what Sam needs from you. As much as he distrusts you, he knows you are his best chance to save his brother,” the man said.

He took a seat at the table after turning a chair so he could face Ruby. He didn’t acknowledge that she currently sat on the floor and wasn’t in a position for a civilized conversation. He just sat there with his hands on his lap.

“Incestual codependency, for the win,” Ruby muttered with an eye roll.

“Have you considered what your next move will be? Any new orders from Lilith?”

“No,” Ruby said. She stood up and headed over to the refrigerator to pull a bag of fries out of the freezer. She turned the oven on to preheat before turning back to the man to explain further. “Lilith does not call for me often. Her orders are vague and leave me a lot of room to work with. As long as Sam is strong enough to kill her and open the final seal for Lucifer’s release, Lilith does not care how I get the job done.”

“And the first seal? John Winchester is proving to be stronger than expected,” the man said.

“Don’t worry, buddy boy. Alastair will take care of that once Dean hits his table,” Ruby replied. She froze for a moment before giving the man a look. “What do I call you? You obviously know my name. I must be able to call you something.”

“My name is irrelevant,” he said quickly.

Ruby gave him another look, squinting her eyes as she looked him up and down. That meant he was the heavenly equivalent of “well known” and a lot of shit would go down if his aid to her was revealed.

“Mikey. You look like a Mikey to me,” Ruby decided. She pulled the St. Michael pendant out from under her shirt. “It’s only appropriate.”

“Call me what you like, then,” Mikey said. His lack of expression hid any real reaction towards the name.

“Mikey it is, then,” Ruby declared. “So, Mikey, willing to explain why you want Lucifer out as much as we do? Heaven put Lucifer in the Cage. Surely you can just let him out if you need him that much.”

“The Cage doesn’t work that way. When God ordered Michael the Archangel to seal Lucifer away, some failsafes were put into place.”

“The seals,” Ruby inserted.

“Yes,” Mikey confirmed. “Lucifer’s betrayal had an effect on how God trusted the rest of his creations. In the event that Michael was swayed away from his father’s orders and came to regret what he did, God did not want Michael capable of opening the Cage as easy as he was able to close it. The Rings of the Four Horsemen are also capable of opening the Cage, but no one is ignorant enough to face them and demand the Rings. Death would not allow it.”

“Okay, so his Holiness doesn’t trust any of his children and made it difficult to open Lucifer’s Cage. I get that. But why do you want Lucifer free? What use is Lucifer to you? He’s no longer allowed in the Host. Everyone in Heaven and Hell knows that,” Ruby said.

Mikey turned away from Ruby to face the door. He went extremely still, almost as if he mentally checked out. Ruby debated walking over to give him a poke, just to make sure he was actually still there, and was interrupted by him finally speaking up.

“Lucifer was the Light of the Host. As much as his betrayal hurt us all, we still miss him.”

Ruby opened her mouth to ask what that meant, but was met with a loud crack as Mikey disappeared.


	3. The Hammer of Witches

“Do you?” Mikey asked as soon as Ruby walked in her door.

“Do I what?” Ruby replied, not even knowing what he was talking about. She just wanted some fries to get over how stressful the day was. She stopped walking mid-stride when she realized that there was a dish of steaming hot fries with a side cup of ketchup already waiting for her on the kitchen counter.

“Do you still remember what it’s like to be human? I thought the tortures of Hell removed such memories from demons,” Mikey continued.

“It’s rare, but still happens. I don’t remember much. Just flashes,” Ruby said. “I was a witch when I was a human, so early exposure to the power of Hell probably helped.”

She approached the counter slowly, wondering why the angel made her fries. Had he really been over often enough now to notice her addiction? She had been with Mikey here in the apartment whenever she wasn’t out working with Sam. It wasn’t like it was safe for her to go out and risk running into another demon who’d kill her.

“Fascinating. Do you know of any demons who remember more? I always thought Lucifer made sure to twist you all beyond recognition.”

“Rumor has it that the King of the Crossroads remembers everything about his life as a human, but I don’t often cross paths with the likes of them. Crossroads come with too many rules. They can’t be trusted,” Ruby said. “Whether he’s telling the truth or not is up for debate.”

“Very fascinating,” Mikey repeated.

“I only told Dean about that because I wanted him off my back. I can’t be working with Sam if I have to worry about Dean taking me down.”

“So you tell part of the truth to cover up your lies. It’s not how we would work, but I see why you’d go down that route,” Mikey said.

“Of course it’s not how you’d work. You’d damage your halo,” Ruby cracked.

She gave in and dove into the dish of fries, ignoring the smirk that Mikey was giving her. Ruby wasn’t kidding when she said fries were edible crack. The flavor of the deep fried potato with the slight burn of salt was addictive.

“Regardless of your motivations, removing Astaroth from the situation was best. Any demon that considers Sam competition for Lilith must be eliminated to guarantee Lucifer’s release,” Mikey said. “Sam cannot die before Lucifer’s release.”

“Even if he did die, I assume you’d find a way to bring him back,” Ruby said with a raised eyebrow.

“Depending on which way he’d go, yes.”

“Meaning?”

“I can easily rescue any soul from Hell. Should a soul go to Heaven, however, I must convince them to willingly leave. A soul cannot be forcibly removed from Heaven,” Mikey explained.

“Interesting,” Ruby mocked Mikey’s earlier tone.

“You’re what humans like to call a ‘little shit’,” Mikey deadpanned.

“I try,” Ruby said before shoving another fry in her mouth.


	4. Jus Ad Bellum

Ruby slammed her door behind her and stormed past Mikey, ignoring his confused expression, on her way deeper into her apartment. She could hear his footsteps behind her, but she paid him no mind. Ruby flung herself onto the bed and screamed into her pillow, calling Dean and Sam several names that made the angel in the doorway take on a pink tint to his face.

“Ruby…” Mikey began. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Those two idiots are going to get us all killed,” Ruby hissed as her lifted herself off the pillow. “Did you not see what happened at that police station? The girl was willing to die to get us all out! Had we done that, Lilith would have known to back off because my plan was working. But they didn’t listen, so Lilith killed everyone.”

“Why do you care? You’re a demon,” Mikey said.

“That’s beside the point. I kill to further a goal. I’m tactical about it. As fun as it is, I don’t kill unless necessary. Lilith, however, kills to make a point. Every time I fail to show that my plan is working, Lilith sweeps in behind me with mass murder to make it clear to Sam and Dean that she is that much closer to them. That they cannot outrun her. If I fail, then Lilith will finish the job and force Sam to kill her,” Ruby ranted.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Mikey said as he took a seat on the mattress next to her. “We will get Sam to kill her on his own. He’ll enter the church willingly. Now do me a favor and relax. We don’t need you to be making any drastic decisions right now.”

Ruby groaned and let her face drop back to the pillow. She felt Mikey touch her arm, which caused her to tense up in both surprise and fear. No way in Hell or Earth did Ruby ever expect to be touched by an angel and not be smited on the spot.

“Ruby, things will go as planned. Trust me on this. I’m not going to let you fail.”

“You can’t promise that,” Ruby muttered through the pillow.

“Yes, I can. You will not fail. I won’t let it happen,” Mikey said, his hand still on Ruby’s arm. “I don’t make promises lightly. But I promise you now that you’ll succeed.”

“God, I hope you’re right,” Ruby said.

Mikey let out a snort in amusement and removed his hand from Ruby’s arm to place his hands on his lap.


	5. No Rest for the Wicked

Ruby groaned as she adjusted herself to her new host. She always hated taking on new hosts because each body was different. And, of course, it always happened against her will after she had come to like her previous host.

“Have a fun trip back?” Mikey asked as soon as he popped up in front of Ruby, causing her to jump in surprise.

“For crying out loud, Mikey. Warn a girl before you scare the shit out of her,” Ruby complained.

“It’s been annoying tracking you down, Ruby. Let’s not let you get sent back to Hell any time soon, yes?”

“Love you, too, hot stuff,” Ruby said. “And to answer your first question, no. I did not have a fun trip back. Crawling my way back up from Hell was far from fun.”

“I repeat, let’s not let it happen again,” Mikey said.

“I don’t intend to. Any updates that I need to be concerned about? I don’t know much of what happened after Lilith sent me down. Sam’s a mess, but I haven’t had the chance to ask him that many questions.”

“Heaven will be waiting to retrieve Dean until after Alastair breaks him. He won’t be useful until then,” Mikey replied.

“Useful? Oh, do tell. How is dear, old Dean useful to Heaven?” Ruby asked with a mischievous grin. She began walking in the direction that she was heading before Mikey popped up.

“That will be revealed at a different time,” Mikey replied as he fell into step next to Ruby. “I do have a question for you, though. What’s up with the coma patient? I know for a fact that her soul passed on recently.”

“Sam would prefer I recycle instead of taking a body that someone was already using. For now, I’d rather placate him. It’s going to take a while for Sam to mourn the loss of Dean,” Ruby explained.

“Placate him, yes, but now’s your time to get the most of the work done. You should continue what Azazel started,” Mikey said.

“What?” Ruby gave Mikey an incredulous look. “What Azazel started? Mikey, we’re working to free Lucifer. Azazel wanted to make Sam the Boy King of Hell, and I don’t see Lucifer letting that happen.”

“That is not what I mean. Azazel gave Sam some demon blood as a child to awaken his latent abilities. Do the same,” Mikey explained.

“Wait. You want me to what?” Ruby asked. She stopped walking and grabbed Mikey’s arm to make him stop, as well.

“Give Sam his powers back. It’s the only way. You can prepare him with hexes and spells and weapons all you want, but his powers are the only thing that’ll guarantee his success.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked. “Are you sure for sure? Who knows what’ll happen if we kick his powers into overdrive? He may not be Sam anymore once that happens.”

“Yes, I’m sure. And regardless of what happens, you’ll be safe. I made that promise, and I’m keeping it,” Mikey said. He held up the St. Michael pendant that he had given Ruby months before.

“You got it back,” Ruby said with a smile. She grabbed it and immediately put it back over her head. She had hoped that Lilith wouldn’t take it after commandeering her old host. After all, a sliver of Grace would be highly useful to the right people.

“It helps that I can freeze time. As soon as I sensed that you weren’t on Earth anymore, I retrieved the necklace.”

Ruby remained silent for a few moments. She didn’t know why she felt so emotional over the pendant. She had no idea if she’d be alive past Lucifer’s release. The angel in front of her would most likely get rid of her once her usefulness had passed. It was his job to destroy her. But here he was, giving her a sliver of his Grace to make sure no one else harmed her. A demon protected by an angel. He made her special.

“Let’s get going,” Ruby said to force herself to focus on something else. “Sam’s waiting. If I’m to start feeding him demon blood, then I need to work up to it.”

“Agreed,” Mikey said.

Ruby tucked the pendant under her shirt and began walking again.


	6. Jesus Wept

Ruby muttered to herself as she sharpened her knife. Dean wasn’t supposed to be back so soon. Wonder boy should have lasted longer under Alastair’s blade, but Lilith must have ordered a rush job. She wanted to get started on the seals as soon as possible. Which meant Ruby had to back off Sam for a little bit so Dean didn’t get suspicious.

“Dean’s retrieval was easier than expected. I apologize,” Mikey said.

“It’s fine,” Ruby said.

Mikey had shown up to her apartment a few hours ago with an armful of Enochian journals and had apologized about Dean every few minutes since he realized that Ruby was in a bad mood about it. Having access to the information in those journals did nothing to placate her.

“I’m going to have to back off Sam for a short while until the shock of this wears off.”

“Have you managed to get Sam addicted to your blood, at least?” Mikey asked.

“Yes,” Ruby replied.

“Then we don’t have to worry about him wanting to keep too large of a distance. He’ll want you to stay clear of Dean for now, but he’s going to want more blood.”

“I know. The thirst is a powerful motivator. That’s why Azazel used it as his catalyst for the Special Children,” Ruby said.

Ruby continued to sharpen her knife as she thought back on Dean’s arrival at Sam’s hotel room. Singer being there is what prevented Ruby from freaking out over her forced change in plans because he absolutely could not know she was working with Sam. However, Dean’s early release from Hell was more an inconvenience than a surprise. It would only be a matter of time until he learned that Kristy was actually Ruby, sure, but his presence was merely a small obstacle for Ruby to work around. Dean didn’t have the control over Sam that he thought he did. She was going to use that to her full advantage.

“What are you planning next? I’m sure your expected schedule of events is no longer valid,” Mikey said.

“I’m going to sit and wait for now. Sam can’t know that I know the way Dean was saved from Hell. He needs to find out on his own. How Sam finds out will determine how I approach him next,” Ruby replied.

“Do I need to remind you of how much more dangerous things are about to become for you?”

“No,” Ruby snapped and threw a glare at Mikey. She didn’t need the reminder. She knew that angels were about to be running amok. Ruby now needed to work double time to watch her back.


	7. Are You There, Mikey? It's me, Ruby

“Sam knows that angels are running around now. That one pulled Dean out of Hell. They know the name of the angel, too,” Ruby told Mikey as she devoured a plate of loaded waffle fries. The diner near her apartment had the best.

“I doubt they'll find out much from the angel who saved Dean for a while. He’s under orders to not interfere for the moment,” Mikey said.

“How do you know that? How could you possibly know that?” Ruby asked. She hadn't asked Mikey about his identity in a while, but now she felt entitled to that information. His kin was now a very real threat to her.

Mikey remained silent for a few moments. He let the expression on his face reveal that he was carefully considering his answer.

“I'm the one who gave the order,” Mikey finally said.

“What?” Ruby asked. She was dumbfounded by his answer. “You’re allowed to give out orders? Just how high ranking are you?”

“High enough,” Mikey said as he moved his gaze from Ruby's face to the pendant around her neck.

Ruby paused as she caught his eye movement. Mikey’s movement was always deliberate. As an angel, he just didn't know how to seamlessly blend in with the human population. If he decided to actively look at the pendant he gave her, then it had to mean something.

“No,” Ruby said when one possibility entered her mind. “No way in Hell. He’s holed up in the Host, throwing out orders as he prepares for Lucifer’s release. You are not him.”

“Who is ‘He’?” Mikey asked, but it was obvious he already knew the answer.

“Oh, Hell no!” Ruby exclaimed. She shot up from the table and started for the door.

Michael let out a sigh and dropped a twenty dollar bill on the table before following Ruby. The people in all the booths he passed gave him knowing looks, as if they knew exactly why Ruby ran off, but he paid them no mind. He found Ruby hyperventilating at the bus stop half a block away from the diner. Curious that she’d let herself do such a human action.

“Ruby, you need to focus on the task at hand.”

“Focus on the task at hand?” Ruby snapped. “Focus on the task at hand?! Sam isn't going to be seeing me for at least a few days, so I have time to do what I damn well please! And I just found out that the First Angel, the highest archangel, has been following me around for the last several months! I'm allowed to panic!”

“If I wanted to be rid of you, Ruby, I would have done it already. As I'm sure you've noticed, I have not,” Michael pointed out.

“Because I'm still useful! Once Lucifer is freed, how do I know you won't smite me on the spot!”

“There is nothing I can say that would make you believe me, Ruby. This is why I didn't reveal my identity at first. I have no reason to smite you, now or ever.”

“Sure you don't,” Ruby said. She gave Michael a glare before spinning on her heel and continuing down the block towards her apartment.

Michael let out another sigh. It would probably take a miracle to get Ruby to trust him again.


	8. Purgatory

“Are you okay?” Michael asked from his place in the living room. Ruby was currently stretched out on her bed with her back to the door.

“Why do you care?” Ruby asked.

“I'm not going to assume you fully recovered after what Alastair did to you. He caused you an immense amount of pain in an attempt to get you to talk.”

“I walked away, didn't I?”

“That's not what I asked,” Michael said.

“Again, why do you care?” Ruby asked. She finally sat up and turned so she could look at Michael through her bedroom door. “Why bother with me at all? I am not some angel who's going to bow to every order you give me.”

“I never considered you as such. I know you'll question every word I say to you. You've had reason to do so since we first met. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of caring,” Michael replied.

“Don't pull the ‘I care about everything’ line on me. It's complete and utter bullshit. What you angels truly care about are God's orders. That's it.”

“Ruby, do you think we angels give out parts of our Grace frequently? Or easily?” Michael asked. He stood up and walked to the bedroom door. “We don't. Not even the Guardians do that with their charges. Removing the pendant from your neck was necessary to get Alastair to fall into your plan, I understand this, but I would not be letting you keep it for protection if I did not care. The only beings capable of harming you while you wear it would be my fellow archangels and Father, and Raphael wouldn't dare contradict my orders once I tell him to back off.”

“You’ve got two other brothers,” Ruby pointed out with a sneer.

“Gabriel has been missing for centuries. Lucifer isn't going to bother with you once he's free. They're nothing you need to worry about.”

“I do worry about angels, Michael. My entire existence depends on it. The moment I stop worrying about you angels is the moment one of you smites me,” Ruby said. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up so she could approach Michael. “I'm a demon, Michael. Smiting me is what you all do.”

“Not always…” Michael trailed off. 

Ruby wasn't wrong. Smiting demons is precisely what angels were supposed to do. He should have done it to her a while ago, if he was being honest. She had stopped being useful once Lilith sent her back to Hell. He was more than capable of finishing the job by himself after that. But Michael remained and continued to work with Ruby. Something about her stopped him from ending her existence and leaving.

“Yes, always. It’s always your job to rid the world of my presence, Michael. Stop lying to yourself and maybe, just maybe, I can take something you say at face value for once,” Ruby said. “Do you understand the irony of having a demon say this to you?”

Ruby scoffed and stepped around Michael so she could head into her kitchen. She was way past the mood for fries and needed something significantly harder. Her emotions were roiling enough without Michael making it worse.


	9. Pin Prick

“Dean knows he broke the first seal,” Michael stated from his spot at Ruby’s table.

“Yes,” Ruby repeated. She hugged her legs as she laid on her side on her couch.

It would have been so easy for her to falsify the results of her search for Dean. Sam had already broken. She had withdrawn herself long enough to make him come to her for more blood. Sam was right where she wanted him. But something made her give Sam the information he wanted. Maybe Michael had been a bad influence on her.

“Uriel is dead, Alastair escaped, and Castiel has been contemplating disobedience. Anna has not been captured, either. This nonsense has been going on for too long,” Michael said. “The Host will not be able to maintain its position in the coming events if the lower ranking angels continue to act out.”

“Perhaps you should remind them who’s in charge,” Ruby said. “You are the big boss after Daddy, after all.”

“I can only preach to them the importance of following Father’s wishes so much before it becomes, as humans say, a losing battle. I want my brothers and sisters to follow our Father without having to be punished into doing so.”

“Get over it!” Ruby snapped. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “You’re the big kahuna. The head honcho.The top dog. Angels who disobey you cannot be shown mercy if you want the Host to be at full strength when Lucifer is released. I’m not one to care about the security of the Host, but your ‘woe is me’ attitude about your minions fucking things up is unbelievable. Act like the badass you’re supposed to be and bring down fire and brimstone on their asses! God!”

“Ruby. . .” Michael half-heartedly scolded.

“God! Yahweh! Allah! Jehovah!” Ruby yelled back in irritation as she stood up and walked over to Michael. “Stop behaving like an overworked middle school teacher who capitulates to everything his class does and have some guts to face your siblings. Shit will roll downhill quickly if you don’t. Do you really want the Host to be more fucked up than Hell?”

“Better question is why am I letting myself be berated by a demon who couldn’t care less about my problems?” Michael said. He rose an eyebrow, daring Ruby to provide an answer.

Ruby gave Michael a smirk.

“Exactly. You shouldn’t even be in the position. I’m beginning to wonder about you. That’s something we’ll go into later, though. Back to our mutual problem of needing Sam Winchester to kill Lilith.”

“Okay. Back to Sam. I will deal with the Host later,” Michael agreed. Ranting to Ruby wasn’t going to solve anything.

“The emotional rollercoaster that Dean is currently riding has got to be causing issues with Sam’s own conscience. How do we want to address that?” Ruby asked.

“Following your own style, we don’t. Deprive him of demon blood long enough that he teeters on desperation. We’re no where near any position to be finessing him any longer,” Michael replied.

“Brute force. I like it,” Ruby grinned.


	10. The Flood

“It's done!” Ruby yelled as she flew into her apartment, barely remembering to close the door behind her.

Michael looked up from the text he was reading and rose an eyebrow at the exhilarated look on Ruby's face. It had been a few days since she last checked in, so he wasn't sure what she was talking about exactly. Ruby had a few things to get done while he searched the Enochian journals, as well as a few other things he decided to search on his own.

“Sam is ours,” Ruby said. She got really close to Michael's face and pressed her forehead to his, grinning widely as she continued. “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum got into a fight, and Sam chose me. Dean has cut off all contact with his brother. Sam is eating out of ours hands with no concern to anything else around him. We’ve got him.”

“Excellent,” Michael said as he backed away a couple inches. He had done quite a bit of thinking while Ruby was gone, and now he felt awkward being so close to her.

Ruby paid no mind to Michael's actions. She was more focused on making the fries she was now craving.

“I already let Lilith know to make her preparations,” Ruby said as she walked towards her freezer. “Sam's going to want to move on her soon. With Dean out of the picture, he’s lost most of his inhibitions. This is perfect.”

“Lucifer will be released in no time at all. Now, what's your exit strategy?” Michael asked.

“My what?” Ruby asked with a laugh. She turned to give Michael an incredulous look.

“Ruby, I doubt my brother's approval will be enough to stop the rest of Hell from going for your throat. You've angered many demons over the past several months. They’ll want your head on a pike.”

“Thank you for that mental image.”

“Ruby, I mean it,” Michael said.

The stern look on his face caused Ruby's laughter to fade away as she fully registered what he was saying. Her earlier excitement from having succeeded with Sam died as Michael's seriousness leaked into her.

“I'll think of something. I managed all this time,” Ruby said.

“You need proper protection,” Michael replied. “It has been millenia since I last saw Lucifer, but I remember him well enough to know he won't provide it.”

“Why are you so worried, Mikey?” Ruby asked. “We've long since established that our working relationship couldn't survive long past Lucifer’s release. It's your duty to smite me as soon as he's out of the cage.”

“I just am,” Michael deflected.

“Not good enough,” Ruby said. She returned to where Michael was sitting to give him a look. “Why are you so sure Lucifer isn't going to step in?”

“He hates demons, Ruby. Only thing he hates more than you is humans. He hates everything and has no reason to reward any of you for anything. Lucifer will most likely smite you as soon as he has Sam,” Michael said.

“What aren't you telling me about Sam?” Ruby asked when she caught Michael's wording. All this time, Michael agreed with her about Sam’s destiny as the Boy King of Hell. Lucifer getting Sam hinted at something else.

“It's nothing. It's… it's really nothing for you to be concerned about,” Michael sighed. He let himself have a physical reaction and rubbed his face in resignation. “Ruby, I'm more concerned about your safety after Lucifer’s release at the moment. This apartment isn't going to be good enough after Sam’s confrontation with Lilith.”

“I...I…” Ruby stuttered.

She stared at Michael as she processed what he was saying. This was way past what they've discussed before. Ruby would be lying if she said she didn't have the hots for Michael after having spent the last several months with him, but she accepted that nothing would come from it. However, Michael was making her rethink that.

“Ruby, I can't let anything happen to you. I just can't.”

“Why?” Ruby managed to squeak out.

“I realized something while you were busy with Sam, and I can't ignore it anymore. You’re too important to me. Ruby, I love you and over my dead body do I let anything happen to you,” Michael said.

Ruby let out a sound that was a mix between a dying eagle and a squealing pig, unable to show any specific emotion as they all hit her at once. That was the last thing she expected Michael to say to her.

“I…” Ruby stuttered again before giving up on talking and throwing herself at Michael.


	11. No More

Michael rushed to the church as fast as he could once he sensed that the Cage had been opened. He needed to catch Lucifer before the younger angel could fly off. How things went down needed to change.

Michael swore when he paused outside the church to look at the beam of light that was illuminating everything. He was too late. Lucifer was gone, and Michael wouldn't have the chance to speak with him for a long time. But something was off. Sam wasn't included in that beam of light. Had Sam said yes, he would have been in that light with Lucifer. Letting out another swear, Michael went inside.

“Ruby, what the hell happened?” Michael called out. He looked around, searching for his demon with the hope she could explain what went on.

“Ruby?” Michael repeated when he was met with silence. He approached the altar, recognizing the markings on the floor as the spot where Lilith had been stabbed by Sam. “Ruby, where are you?”

Michael began to think Ruby had booked it out of the church when his foot hit something that caused a tinkling sound. He looked down to see what it was and paused in horror.

Ruby’s Saint Michael the Archangel pendant.

“No!” Michael wailed, crouching down to pick up the pendant and stick his hand in the pile of ash it had been on top of.

Ruby. The pile was Ruby.

Michael let out a sob when he realized that even his archangel powers wouldn't be able to bring Ruby back. She was long gone, stuck in Purgatory. There was no bringing her back without high sacrifice.

Michael waved a hand to bring an urn into existence and spent the next several hours carefully putting every speck of ash from Ruby into it. He refused to miss a single part of her. Once he was done, he swiped the seal of the urn with a finger to weld it closed and carefully wrapped the pendant around the lid. He left the sliver of his Grace inside it. With Ruby gone, there was no way he'd ever feel complete again.

He hugged the urn close to his vessel, not really knowing what to do next. The second light of his existence had been extinguished. Michael had lost all his will to continue on with his Father's orders.


End file.
